#winelables

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

"The implication is that you must not relax. You should live in fear about being right with God at all times. Especially for a small child, this can be terrifying."

-- Marlene Winell, "Leaving the Fold"

[gramarobin]

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Deconversion “Therapy” Podcast (@deconversiontherapypodcast)

wait for the last line, so good

[whats-in-a-sentence]

According to Dr Marlene Winell, who coined the clinical term, RTS is:

the condition experienced by people who are struggling with leaving an authoritarian, dogmatic religion and coping with damaging indoctrination. They may be going through the shattering of a personally meaningful faith and/or breaking away from a controlling community or lifestyle.

"In/Out: A Scandalous Story of Falling Into Love and Out of the Church" - Steph Lentz

[howwelldoyouknowyourmoon]

Marlene Winell - Leaving The Fold, Religious Trauma, and Emotional Recovery

Psychologist, educator, and Leaving The Fold author, Marlene Winell, talks with Lola & Meagan about how she came to study the negative impacts of religion, how some basic concepts of Christianity can be harmful, why authoritarian structures of religion can sometimes lead to trauma, how we can rationally understand something but emotionally reject it, the spectrum of meaning, and what that looks like after leaving a religion.

[techramonic]

Speak, Hear, and See No Evil; Embody it.

An Essay Analysis on Religious Trauma and its connection to Nihilism through the Case Study of Vladislav Roslyakov

There is a profound intersection in faith and mentality. To uncover one’s whole being, the aspect of spirituality is well within the equation. While many use their faith as a symbol of fortitude, a steadfast hope that guides their way of living – creating practically a coherent path in a world so inconsistent and unpredictable, others see it as the pinpoint of their internal turmoil. Faith is not for all of us. If one rejects the idea of seeking solace in an institute of collective belief, then they do not believe in such a concept as “being saved”. To them, there is no redemption, only pain. 

Some people need a rather tangible and physical form of revelation for an adherence of recognition. It is the ideology: when you look up at the sky and do not see anyone looking back at you, that is when you know it’s not for you. You do not believe in such a thing as self-sacrifice, for you only see the world in a lens of self-slaughter. Often, this strained relationship with faith becomes Religious Trauma. 

Psychotherapist Dr. Alyson M. Stone acknowledges a positive link between religion and mental health but notes a lack of studies on spirituality's impact. According to Stone, “Religious trauma is more prevalent than the research suggests and often is a contributing factor to many of the problems that bring people to therapy, including depression, anxiety, and relationship difficulties. For this reason, religious trauma deserves careful attention” (Stone 2013, p. 324). Furthermore, Marlene Winell (2012) coined "religious trauma syndrome" (RTS) to describe the distress from "toxic theology." This refers to authoritarian religious doctrines demanding strict adherence, often equating disobedience to damnation.

In the case of Vlad, his mother was a Jehovah's Witness. This religious sect is banned under Russian law despite an estimated 175,000 followers in the country. In 2017, Russia’s Supreme Court found the organization guilty of inciting religious hatred by "propagating the exclusivity and supremacy" of their beliefs. Subsequent to  Russian anti-extremism laws extending to non-violent groups in 2007, placing it into the same category as neo-Nazis and members of al Qaeda.

To understand this, we must first look into Vladik’s childhood leading up to this point. Vlad’s father, a former Russian soldier who served in Afghanistan for several years, sustained brain damage from an assault, making him aggressive toward his family, leading to frequent physical abuse over his wife, parents, and even his son. He was also an alcoholic, where his violence would worsen when intoxicated. By the age of 10, his parents had filed for a divorce and he lived under the custody of his mother in a rundown apartment with poor conditions because they could not afford amenities.

Following this, his mother had renowned her faith. Neighbors described her as a devout follower who spent a lot of time in prayer. They recounted that she had barely any concern for Vlad due to being too focused on her faith, but there were many instances of her controlling nature towards her son’s life. According to Vlad’s profile background, his mother would frequently punish him for disobeying rules of her faith. Although he accompanies her in services, he does not recognize himself as a follower. He publicly expressed his contempt on Jehovah’s Witnesses as, “some kind of fools who dance and sing.” A friend of his had also expressed that the two would often make fun of the community. Despite these differences, Vlad still appeared to care for his  mother and understood that she had no other means of coping and did not have a community to interact with since she had no friends or relatives close by. With this, he made sure to spend time with her, yet we can discern that these regulatory rules are merely pushed unto him.

Vlad was not allowed to engage in hobby classes, amateur activities, or even watch movies as the faith forbids these activities. According to his VK chats with Liza Panchenko, his favorite movies were Stand by Me, Pulp-Fiction, and Lost Highway. However, he stated, “I didn’t watch any good movies after 2005”. Though this may be a speculation, one of the possible reasons for this is because he was forbidden by his mother. However, despite her warnings, it is clear that he still would go against her.

Vlad became sports-obsessed and developed an interest in weaponry, violence, neo-nazism, war, and killers. Despite occasionally picking up fights and being placed on the “chair of shame” by his college director, Vlad was reserved and withdrawn from others. His friends had described him as a loner, who was quiet and avoided making friends, rather talking about topics of violence, especially about Columbine. He had no intimate relationships or sense of future and practically only attended school because he was forced by his parents. He did not see any future and saw no escape other than death. Even with an interest in violence and guns himself, he expresses a disdain towards joining occupations like the armed forces.

Moving forward, it is crucial to recognize that the psychological distress caused by religious trauma can manifest into Nihilistic ideology. According to Alfred Alder, a psychoanalyst who founded individual psychology, human behavior is motivated by our unique experiences and the perceptions we garner off of these. To him, humans are driven by goals and we aim for superiority by striving for these goals which are molded by our values and aspirations. These in turn develop into a lifestyle that affects us in different aspects of our behavior.

Furthermore, Alder speculated that psychological development occurs when people pursue meaningful goals, though factors can disrupt this process. Exchanging the feeling of self-superiority with inferiority and emptiness. When one lacks any meaningful goal, they are devoid of any means to stay motivated because they have no inherent cause that may allow them to “live”. 

From a nihilistic perspective, the absence of inherent meaning in existence can lead individuals to view life as a mere distraction. You exist, yet you do not truly live—merely passing time because life feels more like an obligation than a will. This allows you to fade into a concept and lose touch with your humanity. You become a mere entity in this world so vast that it cannot accompany the hatred you bear for it because you are insignificant. You see yourself as nothing, born out of your lack of purpose, therefore you are nothing.

To tie this into the conversation, trauma and abuse can disrupt the process of finding and garnering purpose, hindering the creation of goals and instead, promoting nihilistic attitudes. This includes religion, which can either be an antidote or a poison. 

Religious trauma can be a  catalyst for promoting nihilistic thinking. Taking Vlad as an example, when individuals are subjected to oppressive religious doctrines that instill shame, fear, and guilt – it can lead to an inflated sense of despair. This dread of being trapped in a system that dictates your worth and purpose fuels the tendencies to lean into nihilistic ideologies. You are cornered with no escape despite religion itself being a form of solace and escapism made for believers to feel less in despair. Vlad's strict upbringing in a religious environment and controlling mother contributed to his growing resentment towards religion and humanity itself. This lack of free will over his beliefs and choices only amplified this sense of dread over being powerless. Further alienating him from others because he believes that no one will truly help him, not even God.

If God is not there to help and save him and there are no means of a divine intervention in his life, then he will be the intervention himself. He is the destruction the world has insistently brought upon his life in the form of unforeseen circumstances. He is the “judgment” that he has been taught to fear. He is the delusion that he has created because of his fixation over power. He is hatred. He shall not speak of evil, nor hear it, or see it. So, in turn, he is the embodiment of the evil he is taught to not be. 

Hatred, just like anger, does not come from evil but mistreatment. Though in this case, it is amplified to a point it becomes visceral. Vlad's constant exposure to religious extremism and the trauma he endured further deepened his nihilistic perspective and in turn, developed his trauma into a projection of an image of hatred over things he cannot control: his life and the people around him. Moreover, the trauma from his father's abuse and his mother’s overbearing nature only developed a deep-rooted cynicism towards conventional structures. In his belief, if he is controlled by anything but himself, it is evil.

To conclude, religion has a profound impact on an individual's psyche. It has the ability to either heal a person or destroy them completely. Vlad’s life is a perfect example of how one’s religious trauma can manifest into a distortion of their worldview, ultimately leading to them seeing no other escape in this miserable existence other than death.

[cavorta]

A pagan novella

January 6, 2024

I wish you a good new year with many blessings. Over the past few years, I have published some pagan and witchcraft non-fiction. Currently, I am working on a novella about a young queer woman who leaves a (fictional) conservative Christian cult. She starts a new life and eventually becomes a pagan and more specifically, a Lokean. The story is set in Germany. I have no idea if anyone wants to read that because the genre is neither romance nor a mystery or another typical genre. But anyway, I want to write it. My plan is to selfpublish it in German and English. I also use this as a sort of devotional work for Loki. Devotion for pagan deities can take so many forms, doesn't it? I have no personal experience with leaving a cult or Christianity, but I have researched cults for quite a bit now and heard/read accounts by people who left one and how they recovered from their experiences. For further research, I am also reading “Changing Paths” by Yvonne Aburrow at the moment and I also want to read “Leaving the Fold: A Guide for Former Fundamentalists and Others Leaving Their Religion” by Marlene Winell, Ph.D. I guess this will be quite a journey to write, but as someone said in the Facebook group “The Lokean Collective” when I posted about this novella, “This is a story that needs to be told. Do it!!” And so be it.😊

[fcrgottn]

Spinel and Winter's fusion

Rosolite

Nickname : Winel

[thecarnivorousmuffinmeta]

Hello. I have a question for you and Winell about the Seventh Seal. The description of jellyfish-like Renesmee number 2 in Chapter 10 made me wonder what exactly it looks like. Is it more like leucothea pulchra[1] or Beroe cucumis[2]?

1. https://ibb.co/NVmcnnh

2. https://imgbb.com/Vp58bjT

The Seventh Seal

Well, @therealvinelle's just my beta for this one, but she can take a stab at it if she likes.

Renesmee II is really deserving of fan art eventually, but for now, I'll say 1. It's more glowy/ridiculous looking.

[clairehadenough]

I have watched Big Brother USA since 2003, two decades. Literally the term "showmance" was invented by a contestant on that show. Will Kirby, Season 7: All Stars. He had a gf and made up the term to excuse the heavy flirting he had going on with Janelle while in the BB house. Google up 'Winelle Big Brother" sometime if you're dead bored and hate yourself.

And Big Brother itself is not like any other reality television in that it has live feeds, meaning if you subscribe, you can watch the house guests live. So if Scott had made the show, you would be able to watch his goofy ass live in real time. And, just to note, on Big Brother there have been many "showmances". Many of them still together and some of them are now married with multiple children. (See: Jeff & Jordan (BB11), Rachel & Brendon (BB12), Dani & Dominic (BB13), Jess & Cody (BB19), etc.)

So their fake anons going, "Listen, peasants, I live in LA and work in Reality TV and let me, an expert, tell you..." are full of shit. Go ahead and try to expert-splain "showmance" and Big Brother to me all day, every day. I know my trashy show, and I know bullshit when I see it. And they are full of bullshit.

None of this really matters though lol

Yes Anon!! We love Queens who admit they watch, and dare I say love (?) trashy shows! I’m guilty too😆

Also the confidence in which you’re talking about it and the details you provided show that you actually know what you’re talking about. Contrary to the Anons some clearly send themselves in which they introduce themselves as living here and working there so that we think they’re experts 🤣⬇️

Yes it doesn’t matter because they’re wrong again but it’s always fun to drag them and show others how stupid they are 😆

[lboogie1906]

Governor Captain Westley Watende Omari Moore (October 15, 1978) is a politician, investment banker, author, nonprofit executive, and former television producer serving as the 63rd governor of Maryland since 2023.

He is the author of The Other Wes Moore and The Work, both of which are New York Times Bestsellers. He was the host of Beyond Belief, as well as the executive producer and a writer for Coming Back with Wes Moore.

He is the founder and CEO of BridgeEdU, a social enterprise dedicated to helping students in their transitions to their freshman year of college.

He was born in Takoma Park, Maryland, to father William Westley Moore Jr., a broadcast news journalist, and mother Joy Thomas Moore, a daughter of immigrants from Jamaica and a media professional.

When he was nearly four years old, his father died from acute epiglottitis. His mother took him and his two sisters to live in the Bronx with their grandparents. His grandfather, Rev. Dr. James Thomas, a Jamaican immigrant, was the first African American minister in the history of the Dutch Reformed Church. His grandmother, Winell Thomas, a Cuban who moved to Jamaica before immigrating to the US, was a retired school teacher.

He graduated Phi Theta Kappa from Valley Forge Military Academy and College with an AA, completed the requirements for the Army’s early commissioning program, and was appointed a second lieutenant of Military Intelligence in the Army Reserve. He went on to attend Johns Hopkins University where he studied International Relations and Economics and graduated Omicron Delta Kappa and Phi Beta Kappa. He is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. He attended Wolfson College, Oxford as a Rhodes scholar, he earned an MA in International Relations. He served in the Army, including overseas deployment for the War in Afghanistan, and attained the rank of captain.

He is married to Dawn, they have two children. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence #phibetakappa #alphaphialpha

[gramarobin]

[ruou-tot]

Chateau Laubes Bordeaux

Chateau Laubes Bordeaux được lên men từ hai loại nho đặc trưng của Pháp là Cabernet Sauvignon và Merlot với tỉ lệ 57:43. Rượu cho thấy khả năng lão hóa tốt cùng hương vị trầm ấm, phong phú, thể hiện tốt sự tuyệt vời của thổ nhưỡng vùng Entre-Deux-Mers.

Tổng quan về rượu vang Chateau Laubes Bordeaux

Dung tích: 750ml

Giống nho: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot

Thương hiệu: Chateau Laubes

Loại vang: Vang đỏ

Nồng độ cồn: 15%

Xuất xứ: Vang Pháp

Vùng: Bordeaux

Hương vị rượu vang Chateau Laubes Bordeaux Chateau Laubes Bordeaux được đánh giá là độc đáo từ màu sắc đến hương vị. Rượu có màu ruby với một vài tia sáng lấp lánh tone hồng tím khiến người ta liên tưởng đến màu sắc của loài hoa fuchsia, hay còn gọi là hoa lồng đèn. Khứu giác của người dùng được bao trùm bởi hương thơm phức tạp, nổi bật với mùi hoa violet và bó hương của gia vị.

Trên vòm miệng, Chateau Laubes Bordeaux đem lại cho vị giác sự phong phú của quả mọng đỏ và đen. Hương vị của mứt anh đào, nho đen là rõ nét nhất. Ghi chú của mận damson – một loại quả có màu sắc giống mận Việt Nam, có hình trứng và vị chan chát nhưng không quá nồng gắt. Vị của cây tuyết tùng cay nhẹ với hơi hướng Santal và mùi đặc trưng của thông mang đến cho thực khách cảm giác ấm áp lan tỏa khắp cơ thể.

Hương vị độc đáo của cà phê mocha xuất hiện khiến rượu thêm phần lôi cuốn. Vị trái cây chua nhẹ hòa cùng chút socola khiến con người ta cảm nhận được hương vị của một loại cà phê đắt đỏ như moka. Hậu vị hơi đắng nhẹ của những note hương ấy xen lẫn chút da và thuốc lá đã tạo nên một kết thúc êm ái, nịnh miệng.

Giá rượu vang Chateau Laubes Bordeaux Dù sở hữu mùi vị khá độc đáo, Chateau Laubes Bordeaux có giá thành tương đối hợp lý, dao động từ 595,000 đến 610,000 đồng/chai, tùy từng thời điểm và số lượng mua. Rượu Tốt hứa hẹn sẽ là một cơ sở tiềm năng, đem đến cho quý khách trải nghiệm mua sắm đích thực với hàng ngàn mã sản phẩm vang ngoại nhập đến từ nhiều nước trên thế giới.

Sự chất lượng của sản phẩm và dịch vụ tư vấn của Rượu Tốt được rất nhiều khách hàng đánh giá cao. Ngoài ra, quý vị còn có cơ hội nhận được nhiều phần quà hấp dẫn vào các dịp tri ân, dịp lễ Tết,... Liên hệ ngay qua hotline hoặc đến trực tiếp cửa hàng để được giải đáp thắc mắc, đặt hàng và nhận giá chiết khấu cao nhất thị trường!

Thưởng thức rượu vang Chateau Laubes Bordeaux Cũng giống nhiều loại vang đỏ khác, Chateau Laubes Bordeaux thường ngon hơn khi được phục vụ ở nhiệt độ 16 đến 18 độ C. Các món ăn có cà chua, sốt tiêu như mì Ý, cá hấp/áp chảo, đặc biệt là thịt nướng sẽ làm mùi vị của Cabernet Sauvignon trong rượu được bộc lộ một cách tối ưu nhất.

Vì lượng Merlot trong rượu cũng gần bằng Cabernet nên rượu có thể ăn kèm các món tráng miệng có socola. Ngoài ra pizza, gà nướng ướp gia vị, thịt xông khói, sườn bò sốt tiêu đen hay món rau củ ratatouille nổi danh của Pháp cũng là những lựa chọn đáng thử.

Đôi nét về thương hiệu sản xuất Chateau Laubes Bordeaux - Chateau Laubes Chateau Laubes Bordeaux tọa lạc tại một xã nhỏ ở vùng Entre-Deux-Mers, gần Cadillac. Là một điền trang tuyệt đẹp trải rộng trên mảnh đất rộng 38ha ở 4 xã trong khu vực, vườn nho của thương hiệu được hưởng lợi từ vị trí lý tưởng, cho phép nho hấp thụ đủ lượng ánh sáng mặt trời cần thiết. Nằm hướng ra dòng sông Garonne, khu vực này thường có thời tiết khá mát mẻ, dễ chịu. Sự khác biệt về thổ nhưỡng của 4 xã đem đến cho rượu vang Chateau Laubes nói chung và Chateau Laubes Bordeaux nói riêng nhiều nét đặc trưng phong phú, phản ánh chân thực những gì tinh túy nhất của vùng đất mà nho được sinh ra.

Quy trình sản xuất rượu vang Chateau Laubes Bordeaux Chateau Laubes Bordeaux trải qua những quy trình cơ bản của hầu hết các loại vang Pháp khác, bắt đầu với công đoạn thu hoạch bằng tay. Nho sau đó được chuyển về nhà máy rồi tiến hành phân loại và sơ chế. Nho được nghiền ép để chiết xuất màu sắc và hương vị rồi chuyển nước ép vào thùng thép không gỉ được điều chỉnh nhiệt và ủ sồi trong khoảng 12 tháng. Bước cuối cùng là đóng chai và rao bán.

#wine #winelover #vangphap #ChateauLaubesBordeaux #ruoutot

[gary232]

Religious trauma syndrome (RTS) is recognized in psychology[citation needed] and psychotherapy[citation needed] as a set of symptoms, ranging in severity, experienced by those who have participated in or left behind authoritarian, dogmatic, and controlling religious groups and belief systems.[1] Symptoms include cognitive, affective, functional, and social/cultural issues as well as developmental delays.[2]

RTS occurs in response to two-fold trauma: first the prolonged abuse of indoctrination from a controlling religious community, and secondly the act of leaving the controlling religious community.[2] RTS has developed as its own heuristic collection of symptoms informed by psychological theories of trauma originating in PTSD, C-PTSD and betrayal trauma theory, taking relational and social context into account when approaching further research and treatment.

The term "religious trauma syndrome" was coined in 2011 by psychologist Marlene Winell in an article for the British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies, though the phenomenon was recognized long before that. The term has circulated among psychotherapists, former fundamentalists, and others recovering from religious indoctrination.[1][3] Winell explains the need for a label and the benefits of naming the symptoms encompassed by RTS as similar to naming anorexia as a disorder: the label can lessen shame and isolation for survivors while promoting diagnosis, treatment, and training for professionals who work with those suffering from the condition.[4] Survivors report relief when they find out that RTS is "real.

[graciebaberams]

thoughts on your fave book recs, and fave self care!

send some asks that are like “thoughts on ______”

I actually don’t read that much, but I do really enjoy it so here are a few favs.

The Giver: Lois Lowry

The Uglies (series): Scott Westerfield

A Million Junes: Emily Henry

Any book at all by Brené brown

And my current read is called Leaving The Fold by Marlene Winell

Best ways for me to practice self care are showering and moisturizing, and I love to take care of my curls. I also take care of myself by taking care of Rory, like taking her on walks, eating when she eats, that kind of thing.

[isaiahbie]

Is Christianity Intellectual Suicide?

Some refuse to give Christianity the time of day because they deem it anti-intellectual—a religion that values ignorance and credulity far above critical intelligence. In his satirical book The Devil’s Dictionary (1911), Ambrose Bierce defined faith as “Belief without evidence in what is told by one who speaks without knowledge, of things without parallel.” In a book on how to leave one’s religion behind, Marlene Winell writes of a young man named Sandy who was in her “religious recovery support group,” who lost his faith in college through an encounter with an anti-intellectual pastor. The young man was experiencing doubts as a result of what he was exposed to in college. Instead of addressing these questions head-on, the pastor kept changing the subject. One day, when pressed by the young man, the pastor replied, “Sandy, it’s about time we call this what it is—sin.” The young man left the church and Christianity, being unwilling to follow “a religion that made thinking a sin.”¹

No one should be willing to follow a religion that decapitates critical thinking. Anti-intellectualism has quite a grip in many aspects of our culture, not only in the Christian church. The reasons for the irrational faith shown in some aspects of contemporary Christianity are numerous and will not concern us here except to say that none of the reasons flow from the Bible itself or from the best and truest elements of the Christian tradition. While some have pitted faith against reason, the Bible does not endorse blind leaps of faith in the dark but rather speaks of the “knowledge of God” gained through various rational means. Instead of a “leap of faith,” it commends a well-informed and volitional “step of faith.”

Jesus said the greatest commandment is to love God with all of one’s being, including the mind (Matthew 22:37). Jesus’ own ministry led Him into intellectual debates with the best thinkers of His day, none of whom bested Him in argument. We find Jesus using various argumentative strategies, such as reductio ad absurdum, a fortiori, modus ponens and appeals to evidence.² He further reasoned from a well-developed theistic worldview. The apostle Paul reasoned with the philosophers on Mars Hill (Acts 17:16-31), and the apostle Peter challenged his readers to “give an answer” for their hope in Christ (1 Peter 3:15-16).

When Paul refers to the wisdom of God as foolish to unbelievers in 1 Corinthians 1-2, he is not derogating the intellect per se. He is rather stressing that God’s initiation through divine revelation is required for a saving knowledge of Christ, and that human pride and arrogance deem it unreasonable to submit humbly to this necessity. God’s revelation is not unreasonable, yet the unaided human mind could not produce it on its own. Similarly, Paul warns his readers not to be taken captive by “hollow and deceptive philosophy,” which is merely human and divorced from God’s revelation (Colossians 2:8). This is not a condemnation of all philosophy, only false philosophy.³ Paul himself reasons carefully throughout his many intellectual encounters in the book of Acts and in his many New Testament letters. We do not lose our intelligence by being filled with the Holy Spirit.

Not long ago Christian apologists faced an uphill battle against well-entrenched philosophies of unbelief. Natural theology was deemed long dead, having been slain by the swords of Hume and Kant. Arguments for God’s existence were at best philosophical museum pieces revealing the errors of unenlightened intellectuals. Higher critics had reduced the Gospels to ragtag collections of scattered facts, idiosyncratic theologizing and existentially gripping myths. Philosophers and apologists were doing well to argue for the intelligibility of religious language (considered nonsense by logical positivists), let alone its rationality or truth. Evangelical apologetics—when pursued at all—was typically practiced outside the academy and often lacked intellectual power (although this could not be said of twentieth-century evangelical stalwarts such as J. Gresham Machen, Gordon Clark, Bernard Ramm, Edward John Carnell or Carl Henry).⁴

But seismic shocks in the philosophy of religion have realigned the intellectual world of unbelief in the past three decades, opening up fissures and toppling edifices. Atheist philosopher Quentin Smith wrote in the skeptical philosophical journal Philo that the philosophy departments of the academy have been “desecularized” since the late 1960s, largely due to the pathbreaking work of Alvin Plantinga’s writings. Given the renaissance in Christian philosophy during the past few decades, atheistic philosophers can no longer assume that their naturalism is justified. Smith even allows that “the justification of most contemporary naturalist views is defeated by contemporary theist arguments.”⁵ Philosophia Christi, the journal of the Evangelical Philosophical Society, has the largest subscription base of any philosophy of religion journal and features a roster of stellar contributors. In two important books, Philosophers Who Believe and God and the Philosophers, many leading philosophers wrote of how their Christian beliefs inform their philosophical pursuits.⁶

We find then that Christianity should encourage a robust life of the mind and that many philosophers today are owning and defending Christianity philosophically. There is therefore no reason to refuse to consider Christianity on the (false) basis that it demands intellectual suicide.

Notes:

¹ Marlene Winell, Leaving the Fold: A Guide for Former Fundamentalists and Others Leaving Their Religion (Oakland, Calif.: New Harbinger, 1993), p. 80. ² For more on this, see Douglas Groothuis, “Jesus’ Use of Argument,” in On Jesus (Belmont, Calif.: Wadsworth, 2003); and James W. Sire, “Jesus the Reasoner,” in Habits of the Mind (Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 2000). ³ For more on these passages, see J. P. Moreland, Love Your God with All Your Mind (Colorado Springs: NavPress, 1997), pp. 58-59; and John Piper, Think: The Life of the Mind and the Love of God (Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway, 2010), chaps. 10-11. ⁴ For essays on these important thinkers see Walter A. Elwell, Handbook of Evangelical Theologians (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1993). Many of the theologians were also philosophers. ⁵ Quentin Smith, “The Meta-Philosophy of Naturalism,” Philo 4, no. 2 ( 2001). ⁶ Kelly James Clark, ed., Philosophers Who Believe (Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 1994); Thomas Morris, ed., God and the Philosophers (New York: Oxford University Press, 1995).

[cavorta]

Today, I would like to show you two books that I have read for research for my novella „Dreams of Loki“

„Leaving the Fold: A Guide for Former Fundamentalists and Others Leaving Their Religion“ by Marlene Winell Ph. D. (from 2006)

This is specifically about leaving Christianity and not much is said about changing to a different spiritual path but rather leaving spirituality completely. However, the book is really insightful, it offers a lot of advice about how to get rid of „spiritual baggage“ so to speak and is recommendable in my eyes.

„Changing Paths“ by Yvonne Aburrow (from 2023)

This book is basically for anybody who is contemplating to change their spiritual path, be it from Christianity to paganism, from paganism to something else or a different kind of spiritual journey. The book offers some theological theories and general thoughts about what spirituality/religion is and why it can be enrich your life. Other topics include reasons for leaving a specific path, religion and gender, ethics and more. There are exercises included, for instance journal prompts and guided meditations. I think this book is recommendable too.

There is just one point I do not agree with. The author emphasizes more than once that it is very important to find a spiritual community and meet like-minded people in person. Of course this can be beneficial, but on the other hand, there are also solitary witches and pagans who explore their spiritual paths by themselves, without a spiritual group or a coven etc. My novella gets published as a ebook on April 1, 2024 (no joke) in all Amazon shops and can be pre-ordered.

The print version will be available on April 7, 2024, also in all Amazon shops.

Here is the book cover and the blurb:

The young lesbian woman Vera leaves a conservative Christian cult, starting a new life in Hamburg. There she must find a place to live and a job. But Vera has an additional problem: in her dreams, a mysterious person appears who finally reveals to be the Norse deity Loki. Vera mistrusts this deity – is this some kind of demon? In Hamburg, Vera gets to know more queer people and also a Norse pagan …

A novella about spirituality, modern paganism and the struggles and joys of being queer. There are also some witches in the story.